Plant Library

Other Names:  Calamansi, Panama Orange, Orange Calamondin

Description:

Very beautiful dark green and cream variegated foliage on this shrub or small tree; fragrant flowers are followed by small juicy sour fruit that are used for preserves; a great container plant for the patio or landscape accent

Edible Qualities

Variegated Calamondin is a large shrub that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces small orange fruit which are typically harvested when mature. The fruits have a sour taste.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Cooking
• Preserves
• Sauces

Features & Attributes

Variegated Calamondin features showy clusters of fragrant white star-shaped flowers with buttery yellow eyes at the ends of the branches from mid spring to early summer. It has attractive creamy white-variegated dark green foliage with hints of grayish green. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent orange berries from early fall to early winter.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Variegated Calamondin is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Variegated Calamondin will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated edibles garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Variegated Calamondin is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, this plant may be too tender to survive the winter if left outdoors in a container. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.